Western tourism to North Korea dropped by 40 percent in 2014 due to fears of arbitrary arrest, the impact of harsh anti-Ebola measures and the cancellation of the Arirang Mass Games, an NK News survey of tour agencies has revealed.

Just 3,851 tourists visited North Korea in 2014, down from 6,134 the previous year, 11 Western-facing companies that participated in the survey said.

And of the 20 companies contacted by NK News to take part, six said they were no longer offering tours to North Korea.

“The biggest challenge is most certainly the fear and hesitancy people feel about traveling there, that they may somehow